Road construction activity in the North-Eastern States has picked up some pace after a period of paralysis during the last six years. Statistics with the Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highways (MoRTH) show that at least 671 kms of road length has been constructed in the North-East region till December. The Government is aiming at completing another 188 kms by March next year.
“The construction in the last six years had been at an average pace of 0.52 kilometres per day. When we look at the current figures, we see a definite positive change,” said an official from the Ministry of roads.
“The Government has initiated a mega road development programme in North-East, and we expect a lot of road construction activities in the coming years,” said Pon Radhakrishnan, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways. “The Government has given approval for two or four-laning of 6,418 km of various categories of roads under phase ‘A’ of Special Accelerated Road Development Programme (SARDP-NE) at an investment of about `33,500 crore,” he said.
The Minister told the lok Sabha that the Government has also given approval to preparation of a detailed project report for 3,723 km of roads under phase ‘B’. The Minister further informed that the approved length of trans-Arunachal highways under SARDP-NE is 1,326 km, out of which a total of 120 km has already been completed, and 220 km is targeted for completion by March, 2015.
The Minister added that there were delays in completion of the east-west corridor and Saraighat bridge in Assam due to problems of land acquisition, change in design, and slow mobilisation of resources. But the Government is expecting a completion by early next year.
Past record of road construction in the North-East has been very dismal. In the year 2012-13, MoRTH could build only 260 kms in the entire year, the year 2011-12 was worse, with only 150 kms of newly built roads and 2010-11, fared still worse with only 146 kms of new roads built in the entire year.
A study of the pace of work in the last four years since the Ministry pumped in more money and rechristened the project in 2010 as Special Accelerated Road Development Programme (SARDP-NE), shows that the average pace has been 0.51 kms per day.